Sometimes My 14-year-old Amazes Me

My 14 y/o was given an assignment to write a descriptive paragraph about a photo (you can see the picture here).  There was no requirement (or even suggestion) that it should be a religious paragraph, so what he wrote came straight from his heart.  And here it is:

The arctic rainbow settles into place, reflecting God's glory as it is reflected off the chilled arctic waters. The ice chunks, reflected as well, do not distort in any way this magnificent image of God's glory. The colors, red and vibrant, fill the air and the water. A small strip is all that is visible of the orange, the rest lost in the air. Such is the image of glory, it is more visible than anything around it.

He never would have written that for a public school assignment!

A Growing Faith

Image by Robb North via Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had another crisis at homeschool this morning. 

God is so good!

I wish you knew just how angry and controlling I am by nature, so you would know what a miracle of God today's events have been.  Please don't think I'm a patient person, or wise, or any of those other things.  I'm not.  (Those who know me don't need to be told that!)

I won't go into a lot of details about what instigated the crisis.  Suffice it to say that one son decided a specific assignment was unacceptable, and a total meltdown followed.  (Now that I think about it, there was no fist-flailing this time.  How refreshing!)

Miracle #1 showed itself as calmness and love on my part.  Trust me, that's a true miracle.

Phillip had buried his face in the crack between the back and seat of the couch, and was wailing and screaming at ear-piercing decibels.  But I began to pick out words of prayer in all the wailing, and I silently thanked God for it and asked Him to bless and guide his prayers.

Once Phillip quieted enough that I thought I could make myself heard, I asked him if he would like me to pray for him now or later.

His request for prayer now was so touchingly sincere!

I prayed aloud for a while, and when I was done, Phillip sat up.  I asked him if he wanted a hug, and he wasn't sure at first.  "I'm thinking."  Then after a minute or so he said, "Sure."  So I drew him over close and gave him a hug, and he just melted.  "Oh, I love you so much!" he said.  I replied in kind, and then told him that God loved him too.  "I love Him too," Phillip replied. 

We cuddled for a while and talked about God, and Phillip just got more and more joyful.  When I got up to make him lunch, Phillip spent his waiting time and subsequent eating time just bouncing around and rejoicing over how much God did for him, and talking about how grateful he was.

Then, after lunch, on his own initiative, he completed the once-rejected assignment. 

Wow.  Miracle #2.  If you knew Phillip, you wouldn't think "miracle" was too strong a word.

I feel a caution in my soul.  There will be people reading this who don't experience the same sorts of wondrous things when they start homeschooling, and I don't want anyone to start making comparisons.  God's path for everyone is different, and there is no "arrival" in this life.

There are some very important things to keep in mind:

• God decided before the foundation of the world that now would be our time to receive these blessings.  We did not trigger or earn these blessings.  We merely received them at the proper time.  When the next trials and hardships come (and they surely will), they will come because it is God's ordained time for them.  Trust in God's schedule for you!
• God decided to use homeschooling as the conduit of today's blessing in our case.  He may decide to use different conduits for others, as well as different timing. 
• We position ourselves to receive God's blessings when we walk in obedience…but sometimes those blessings come in very clever disguises!   I've struggled through almost a decade of hopelessness, rage, depression, and unrelenting trials…and I may find my trials doubled before this day is through.  If God removes all my joyous circumstances, He will still be blessing me.  All the agonies He has ever put you and me through have been blessings.  They just didn't feel like it at the time.  And the same will be true of whatever sufferings still await us (and I'm sure there are many).
• The goal is not to find our way to Easy Street.  The goal is to depend on the Lord and walk in obedience to Him, regardless of what "street" we're on.   We must depend on God in the good times as well as the bad, because we need Him desperately all the time.  We may be able to "succeed" (however you define that) on good days, but if we've done it without God, we've failed.  On the other hand, our most miserable failure of a day is actually a success if we spent it constantly coming back to the Throne of Grace. 

Faithful dependence is success.  If you're doing that, you can rest assured that whatever He has brought into your life, you are positioned to receive the maximum possible benefit from it in His time. 

So let's rejoice with one another in happy-feeling blessings, weep with each other in sad-feeling blessings, and trust God's timing for all of them.

Homeschooling, Day 1

I let this blog lie fallow for a long time, but it's time to give it a new life.  Why?  Because Nathanael and Phillip have started homeschooling!

(For more information on why we decided to start homeschooling, please click here to go to my other blog.  Then come back here when you're done.)

As I mentioned in my other blog, we purchased the 6th and 8th grade versions of Switched On Schoolhouse (SOS) and here are my first-day impressions.

I'm thrilled!

No, it's not perfect.  We've found some glitches already (though they may be cured when we download some updates), and there are some things I find a tad confusing.  But overall, this first-day experience was overwhelmingly good.

Nathanael says that homeschooling is like a dream come true.  He is bubbling over with joy at this new way of life, and he seems much more relaxed than I've seen him in a long time.  He did 5 days' worth of work in about a day and a half, all on his own initiative.  He says he can't wait for tomorrow so he can do more schoolwork.  That's something I never expected to hear!

Phillip also did well, though it took him until about 8:30 at night to finish his work.  He didn't start until around lunchtime, because he slept late.  Even so, that's a long day, but he usually works on his homework until that late anyway.  Much of that is due to dawdling.  He does find it hard to focus.  And of course today he had breaks when needed throughout the day.

He did have one major meltdown during the day, but that's nothing unusual.  What was unusual was how quickly he recovered and got back to work!  I believe he finds the computerized format much more engaging than books and papers.  For the most part, he seemed to enjoy it.

I loved seeing the boys studying the Bible as part of their curriculum!  Nathanael had been in Christian school from Kindergarten through the first half of fourth grade, but Phillip never had been because of his need for special intervention from the beginning.  It was so wonderful seeing them studying Bible now!

Nathanael wrote something I thought was absolutely stunningly wonderful.  He was asked to write down why we should hallow God's name, and part of his answer was:

God's holy name reflects on his holy self, and we don't want to be looking at God through a broken mirror.

I think that's pretty profound, especially coming from a 13 year old!

But back to talking about SOS.  I am so pleased with how easy it makes my job as teacher, and how good the curriculum seems to be, and also the immediacy of interaction that it allows.  Nathanael can be working at his computer in the basement, and I can check from my computer upstairs and see exactly what he has done, how well he has done on it, and if there are any items that I need to grade myself (SOS does 95% of the grading automatically, leaving only 5% for me to do).  And I also can instantly communicate with him via a messaging system.  If I'm not satisfied with the work I've graded, I can attach a note to it (all on the computer, no actual paper), and send it back to him for reworking at the click of a button.  If he needs to consult with me about something, I can be there in a matter of seconds.  It feels absolutely wonderful. 

Oh, and I love the fact that I'm not dealing with stacks of paper.  Paper always piles up and needs to be filed, and it's extremely stressful and messy for a disorganized person like me.  But despite having completed a very good day's work for Phillip, and 5 days' worth for Nathanael, not a single piece of paper was generated.  Gotta love it.

I apologize for over-using superlatives, but it's hard to even express how I feel about all of this.  God clearly led us, and He is blessing. 

Now, I'm going to be realistic here.  With big new ventures like this, there is always a honeymoon period, and then there's usually a real low time, and then finally things level out to some sort of norm.  I know it won't always be peachy.  But then again, today wasn't "peachy."  Phillip came closer to my nose with his fist than he ever has before. 

But this is such a good thing.  I'm sure of it.  I feel energized with a whole new sense of purpose, unlike anything I've felt in I don't know how long.

I should mention dear Andrew, our 4th grader who does not have "special needs."  He is being such a good sport about this, even though he clearly feels left out.  He has made it clear he would like very much to be homeschooled as well, but he understands that right now we can't afford a third curriculum.  I'm proud of him for being as classy about it as he's being.

Enough for now.  It's after 10pm, and I'm tired.  I haven't slept well for days, mostly because of excitement and some nervousness about homeschooling.  Life is busy right now in several ways.  There is a stack of dishes waiting for me, and tons of laundry, and grocery shopping that I haven't gotten to.  All of these things will be made more complicated by having the boys with me.

It is so worth it.  I have no doubts.

Ok, I'll admit it, I cried...

When Phillip's bus left this morning, taking him and his suitcase to school, I cried. He'll be gone until Friday afternoon. When I think about how far he's come, and how little hope there seemed to be for him back when he was two or three...how can I not be moved?

Now it's about 8:15 at night, and I've gotten a brief email from John. It says, "Having a great time."

I plan to get to bed early tonight. Maybe I can shake this headache...

So glad things are going well at Pingree Park!

Busy, busy day

Wow, I think this is a first for me, completing a new weekly menu that's safe for diabetics, getting all of the grocery shopping done, and all of the laundry done in one day. I am so thankful to the Lord for His help!

Phillip did much better on his homework tonight, meaning a better attitude and effort. I think some mathematical concepts may have gone "click" for him tonight, which is really nice.

I think the kids' new allowances will definitely turn out to be a very positive thing. We have explained to them that their allowances are not payment for their chores. We give allowances so they can learn responsibility and just as a nice "perk." But one of the ways they are to learn responsibility is by accepting financial responsibility when they damage or break something, or when someone else has to take up the slack for a chore they didn't do. We haven't started deducting anything from their allowances yet, because we wanted to give them a grace period. But they know that it will start soon. And I explained to them how much money I would have deducted today if it had started already. It made an impression. I've never seen Phillip race upstairs to make his bed so enthusiastically. He was even saying very emphatically, "I'm GOING to do this. I'm not going to let anyone else do it for me!" This from a boy who used to constantly whine about needing help with bed-making!

I got an estimate today on how much a professional editor would charge to go over "Dying for Answers." Because my book is so huge, the fee is also huge (even with a significant discount). It made me decide that it was time to start trimming fat off of that book. Maybe after I've reduced its size a good bit I'll get another estimate. It felt good to start serious work on that particular manuscript again, though I had little time to devote to writing today, and was only able to trim off about 65 words from the first scene. There will be more.

I'd best be off to bed!

(Photo from Stock.xchng by kvohsen)

Fun in the Sun

My friend invited us over to swim at the lake near her house today. We spent most of the day there, and it was a lovely time. (The photo above was taken last year at the same spot.) It was nice for Nathanael because he could play and have fun without his boot on. We helped him hop on his good foot into the water, and once he was in there, he could use a floatie "noodle" thing and the life vest he was wearing to enable him to keep his weight off the injured foot. He had fun doing that, and afterwards we all went to my friend's house where the kids played some games while my friend and I talked.

Phillip is starting to show some interest in learning to ride a bike! This is a big deal, and I hope his interest holds. It was really sweet earlier because Andrew took it on himself to try to help Phillip learn. I wish I'd gotten a picture of that.

I can hardly believe that school starts in just over two weeks!

Tonight's dinner was just quick stuff. John grilled burgers and I cooked up corn. Nothing exciting to share there, I'm afraid.

Accepting comments now!

It has come to my attention, thanks to a dear concerned reader, that I have not been receiving comments that have been posted on this blog. The fact is, no comments HAVE been posted here, despite some people's kind attempts to do so. I did not realize that I would have to go into the settings and change some things in order for you to be able to post them successfully. So my apologies to any and all who have tried to leave comments. Hopefully that problem is fixed now. If anyone wants to go back and re-post any comments that they tried to make on earlier entries, feel free to do so.

Just remember, all comments are publicly visible, so if you want to tell me anything privately, please email instead.

VBS finished today, and I must say it was a very good experience. We all finished up by enjoying a "Thank-you" luncheon that the church hosted for the workers.

The housework really suffered this week. Well, it's been suffering for longer than that, but it got even worse this week. So I'm planning to make tomorrow a serious workday. I'm posting that because I want you all to hold me accountable. More importantly, I'd like all the prayer I can get. I need it. We all do.

At VBS today, Phillip's craft was pottery. He, of course, made a telephone. I think it's great, but he hates it. He said it was one of his worst failures, and he was so upset that he ended up lying on the sofa in the foyer and burying his head between the back cushion and the seat cushion. That's a pretty common position for him when he's too upset to face life. But he got over it and had a pretty good day after that.

The kids all made dreidels this week, and learned how to play the dreidel game. That was pretty cool. They got to sand the wood and paint it and hammer the post through the hole and everything. They also did some basket weaving with paper and some sort of fibrous reedy material, and they made a few other things besides. I think they were the best crafts I've seen at a VBS, and all the kids seemed to enjoy them a lot.

Nathanael is more than halfway through with his boot-wearing time. He'll be glad to get rid of that.

His voice is deepening, though it can't be said to have "changed" yet. There's still a noticeable difference from just month or so ago. How do they grow up so fast?

Dinner tonight was Spaghetti with Slow-Cooked Spaghetti Sauce

2 lb ground beef
4 can diced tomatoes; undrained
16 oz tomato sauce
12 oz tomato paste
2 each bay leaf
2 tablespoon brown sugar
8 clove garlic; minced
4 teaspoon basil
4 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon thyme
16 oz spaghetti noodles; cooked
2 medium onion; chopped

In a skillet, brown sausage and onion; drain. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Add all but noodles. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until heated
through. Discard bay leaf. Serve over cooked noodles.

Not the Most Productive Tuesday

Neither John nor I are feeling particularly well today. I felt tired and buzzy-headed enough to decide what I needed to do was stretch out on the couch and watch "Anne of Green Gables." That definitely improved my outlook on life. John is having some stomach troubles.

Actually the morning was quite nice, before the "yuckies" hit. We had our final installment of our Beth Moore Bible study at church, followed by a lasagna luncheon. I brought my Creamy Pea Salad, of course.

Phillip did some amazing things today. While John was at work, Phillip took it on himself to finish a job that John had started. John has been moving his "office" from our bedroom to the basement, and he ended last night with his upstairs desk only partially moved and re-assembled downstairs. Phillip decided on his own to go get the remaining parts from upstairs, bring them to the basement, and assemble them (including putting in the screws with an electric screwdriver). He even hooked up some electronics. We were very impressed and pleased.

The kids are all still happy with their new sleeping arrangements. For those who don't know, since Nathanael has a broken foot, we of course don't want him to have to climb up and down the ladder to his top bunk. So he has moved out of his bedroom into Andrew's room, and Andrew has moved into the other room with Phillip and has taken over the top bunk. It may turn out to be a permanent arrangement, which makes sense to me.

No further attempts have been made to rescue the monkey. Stay tuned.

I just got a rather remarkable narrative from Andrew. Because of the dangers of nuclear power, Andrew has come up with a unique new method of powering his own aircraft carrier. Nathanael says that it works in the same way as nuclear power except...it runs off of Werther's Caramel candies. Andrew explains: "The Werther's are contained in a canister. They are evaporated, turn into steam, heat up pressurized water that goes through a heat exchanger; that heated water makes the Werther's float to a giant spinning blade, chopping them up into triangular pieces. Enough pieces are put into one thing that it turns into a turbine that spins around and gives the ship the power. Now, the extra steam runs the catapults on the ship. And whenever there's extra steam, a plane on either side of the carrier's flight deck takes off." Oh, to have such an imagination!

Tonight's dinner was Garlic Beef Stroganoff. I'll post the recipe. But wait, there's more! I'll throw in the Creamy Pea Salad recipe as an added bonus if you call right now!

Garlic Beef Stroganoff

2 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1 cup Water; boiling
1 can cream of mushroom soup; undiluted
2 jar mushroom; drained
1 large onion; chopped
3 clove garlic; minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 lb round steak (boneless); cut into thin strips
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 oz Cream Cheese; cubed
1 to taste noodles; cooked

In a slow cooker, dissolve bouillon in water. Add soup, mushrooms, onion,
garlic, and Worcestershire. In a skillet, brown beef in oil. Transfer to
the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the meat is
tender. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Serve over noodles.

Creamy Pea Salad

Note: Use triple this amount for potlucks and the like.

16 oz frozen peas; thawed, uncooked
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon instant minced onion; reconstituted
1/2 cup miracle whip (The original recipe called for Mayonnaise)
1 to taste salt
1 to taste pepper
2 strips bacon; cooked and crumbled (actually, I use Bacon Bits, and I mix them in right along with everything else.)

In a bowl, combine the peas, cheeses, onion, miracle whip, salt and pepper;
mix well. Refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with bacon.